Method and Base Station for Managing Capacity of a Wireless Communication Network

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method and a base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network, which relates to the field of wireless communications and is capable of saving energy while adjusting capacity of a wireless communication network of a base station. The present invention includes: checking total traffic of all overlay networks belonging to the base station; if the checked total traffic keeps being smaller than a preset load threshold, searching for and determining a first overlay network; maintaining normal work of a power amplifier of at least one antenna in each group of antennas in the first overlay network and turning off power amplifiers of one or more other antennas; and connecting the one or more other antennas to the power amplifiers maintaining normal work in the groups in which the one or more other antennas are located.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/CN2012/075934, filed on May 23, 2012, which claims priority toChinese Patent Application No. 201110448641.X, filed on Dec. 28, 2011,both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications,and in particular, to a method and a base station for managing capacityof a wireless communication network.

BACKGROUND

With the rapid development of communication users and communicationservices, the existing cell resources cannot satisfy the increasingdemand of traffic. Therefore, the capacity of a communication systemneeds to be expanded. Capacity expansion of the communication system maybe implemented in the following manner: the number of antennas isincreased, and new cell resources are configured for antennas, so thatnew cell resources are added, and cell splitting is implemented. In thismanner, the capacity of the communication system is improved, and cellresources are increased.

However, when the traffic is low, the existing network capacity needs tobe managed to reduce system physical resources. In a multiple-antennanetwork structure, a method for reducing the system physical resourcesis cell combination, and specifically is, deleting cell resources ofmultiple antennas corresponding to multiple cells, or, deleting cellresources of multiple antennas corresponding to a same cell, andconfiguring, for the multiple antennas, cell resources which are thesame as cell resources of another cell. In the foregoing implementationmanner for cell combination, relevant devices, such as the antennas, arenot turned off when the traffic is low, thereby wasting energy.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a base stationfor managing capacity of a wireless communication network, which arecapable of saving energy while adjusting service capacity of a wirelesscommunication network of a base station.

In order to achieve the foregoing object, the embodiments of the presentinvention adopt the following technical solutions.

A method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network isapplied to a base station with a multi-sector structure. The basestation manages multiple overlay networks covering a same coverage area.The multiple overlay networks covering a same coverage area include atype 1 overlay network with a sector combining function, and multiplegroups of antennas corresponding to each type 1 overlay network areconfigured. One power amplifier is configured for each antenna, and themethod includes: checking total traffic of all the overlay networksmanaged by the base station; if the checked total traffic is smallerthan (i.e., less than) a preset load threshold, searching for the type 1overlay network among all the overlay networks belonging to the basestation; if there is only one overlay network belonging to the type 1overlay network, determining the overlay network as a first overlaynetwork; if there are multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1overlay network, determining the first overlay network according tonetwork status parameters of the multiple overlay networks belonging tothe type 1 overlay network, where the first overlay network is a type 1overlay network which is managed by the base station and requiresnetwork capacity management; maintaining normal work of a poweramplifier of at least one antenna in each group of antennas in the firstoverlay network, and turning off power amplifiers of one or more otherantennas; and connecting the one or more other antennas to the poweramplifier maintaining normal work in the groups in which the one or moreother antennas are located so that sub-sectors corresponding to eachgroup of antennas among the multiple groups of antennas are respectivelycombined into multiple large sectors.

A base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication networkis a base station that manages multiple overlay networks covering samecell coverage areas. The multiple overlay networks covering same cellcoverage areas include a type 1 overlay network with a sector combiningfunction, and multiple groups of antennas corresponding to each type 1overlay network are configured. One power amplifier is configured foreach antenna, and the base station includes: a check unit, configured tocheck total traffic of all the overlay networks managed by the basestation; a search unit, configured to search for the type 1 overlaynetwork among all the overlay networks belonging to the base stationwhen the total traffic checked by the check unit is smaller than apreset load threshold; a determination unit, configured to, when thesearch unit finds only one overlay network belonging to the type 1overlay network, determine the overlay network as a first overlaynetwork, and when the search unit finds multiple overlay networksbelonging to the type 1 overlay network, determine the first overlaynetwork according to network status parameters of the multiple overlaynetworks belonging to the type 1 overlay network, where the firstoverlay network is a type 1 overlay network which is managed by the basestation and requires network capacity management; and an adjustmentunit, configured to maintain normal work of a power amplifier of atleast one antenna in each group of antennas in the first overlaynetwork, turn off the power amplifiers of one or more other antennas,and connect the one or more other antennas to the power amplifiermaintaining normal work in the groups in which the one or more otherantennas are located so that sub-sectors corresponding to each group ofantennas among the multiple groups of antennas are respectively combinedinto multiple large sectors.

In the method and the base station for managing capacity of a wirelesscommunication network provided by the embodiments of the presentinvention, when the checked total traffic of the network is lower thanthe load threshold, one overlay network requiring network capacitymanagement is determined, the power amplifiers corresponding to a partof the configured antennas thereof are turned off, and the part ofantennas are connected to power amplifiers corresponding to the one ormore other antennas which work normally. Therefore, energy is saved at aprerequisite of ensuring normal work of the antennas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To illustrate the technical solutions according to the embodiments ofthe present invention or in the conventional art more clearly, thefollowing briefly describes the accompanying drawings required fordescribing the embodiments or the conventional art. Apparently, theaccompanying drawings in the following descriptions show merely some ofthe embodiments of the present invention, and a person skilled in theart can obtain other drawings according to the accompanying drawingswithout creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for managing capacity of a wirelesscommunication network in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a composition block diagram of a first overlay network inEmbodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a composition block diagram of a remote radio frequency unitin Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a composition block diagram of another remote radio frequencyunit in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method for managing capacity of a wirelesscommunication network in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of another method for managing capacity of awireless communication network in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a composition block diagram of a base station for managingcapacity of a wireless communication network in Embodiment 3 of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a composition block diagram of another base station formanaging capacity of a wireless communication network in Embodiment 3 ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a composition block diagram of another base station formanaging capacity of a wireless communication network in Embodiment 3 ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided byEmbodiment 3 of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes technical solutions in the embodiments of thepresent invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.Apparently, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of thepresent invention, rather than all the embodiments of the presentinvention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a personskilled in the art from the embodiments of the present invention withoutany creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of thepresent invention.

Embodiment 1

Embodiment 1 of the present invention provides a method for managingcapacity of a wireless communication network, which is applied to a basestation with a multi-sector structure. The base station manages multipleoverlay networks covering a same coverage area. The multiple overlaynetworks covering a same coverage area include a type 1 overlay networkwith a sector combining function. Multiple groups of antennascorresponding to each type 1 overlay network are configured. One poweramplifier is configured for each antenna. As shown in FIG. 1, the methodincludes:

101: Check total traffic of all the overlay networks belonging to thebase station.

The check of the total traffic of all the overlay networks belonging tothe base station may be checked periodically or may be performed aftermanagement personnel trigger a check action, which is not limited by theembodiment of the present invention.

102: If the checked total traffic is smaller than a preset loadthreshold, search for a type 1 overlay network among all the overlaynetworks belonging to the base station. Execute step 103 if there isonly one overlay network belonging to the type 1 overlay network;execute step 104 if there are multiple overlay networks belonging to thetype 1 overlay network.

103: Determine the overlay network as a first overlay network andexecute step 105.

104: Determine the first overlay network according to network statusparameters of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1overlay network, where the first overlay network is the type 1 overlaynetwork which is managed by the base station and requires networkcapacity management, and execute step 105.

105: Maintain normal work of a power amplifier of at least one antennain each group of antennas in the first overlay network and turn off thepower amplifiers of one or more other antennas.

106: Connect the one or more other antennas to the power amplifiermaintaining normal work in the groups in which the one or more otherantennas are located so that the sub-sectors corresponding to themultiple groups of antennas are respectively combined into multiplelarge sectors.

In this embodiment, the foregoing steps may be executed by the basestation or a system which manages the base station, which is not limitedby the embodiment of the present invention.

In the method and the base station for managing capacity of a wirelesscommunication network provided by the embodiment of the presentinvention, when the checked total traffic of the network is lower thanthe load threshold, one overlay network requiring network capacitymanagement is determined, the power amplifiers corresponding to some ofthe configured antennas are turned off, and the antennas are connectedto power amplifiers corresponding to one or more other antennas whichwork normally. Therefore, the energy is saved at a prerequisite ofensuring normal work of the antennas.

Embodiment 2

Based on Embodiment 1, the embodiment of the present invention isdescribed in detail with an example of a base station with overlaynetworks each of a 6-sector structure. An implementation manner based onother sector structures may be implemented based on the embodiment ofthe present invention and in combination with specific features of theother sector structures. The specific implementation manners are alltechnologies well known by a person skilled in the art, and thereforethe implementation manners are not described in detail in the embodimentof the present invention.

Multiple overlay networks of same cell coverage areas are disposed onthe base station with the overlay networks each of a 6-sector structure,which includes a type 1 overlay network. As shown in FIG. 2, a specificstructure of the type 1 overlay network is as follows: three groups ofantennas are included, each group of antennas is formed of two antennas,namely, Af1 and Af2, Af3 and Af4, and Af5 and Af6. That is, Af1 and Af2are set as a group, Af3 and Af4 are set as a group, and Af5 and Af6 areset as a group. Each antenna in each group of antennas corresponds to a60° sector. The cell numbers of cells covered by the 60° sectorcorresponding to each antenna are the same. One power amplifier isconfigured for each antenna, and a converter is connected to each groupof antennas.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the power amplifier isprovided by a remote radio frequency unit. The power amplifier of eachantenna may be configured in the following manners.

Configuration manner 1: as shown in FIG. 3, three remote radio frequencyunits are configured in a first overlay network. Each remote radiofrequency unit is connected to one antenna group. Because one poweramplifier is configured for each antenna, two power amplifiers areconfigured in each remote radio frequency unit, that is, Af1 and Af2 areconnected to one remote radio frequency unit, Af3 and Af4 are connectedto one remote radio frequency unit, and Af5 and Af6 are connected to oneremote radio frequency unit, and two power amplifiers are configured ineach remote radio frequency unit.

Configuration manner 2: as shown in FIG. 4, six remote radio frequencyunits are configured in the first overlay network. Each remote radiofrequency unit is connected to an antenna. Because one power amplifieris configured for each antenna, one power amplifier is configured ineach remote radio frequency unit, that is, each of Af1, Af2, Af3, Af4,Af5 and Af6 is connected to one remote radio frequency unit, and onepower amplifier is configured in each remote radio frequency unit.

It should be noted that the power amplifier may also be provided by anon-remote radio frequency apparatus, which is not limited by theembodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, a method for managing capacity of a wirelesscommunication network based on the foregoing architecture includes thefollowing steps:

201: The base station checks total traffic of all the overlay networksbelonging to the base station in real time.

The total traffic of all the overlay networks belonging to the basestation may be obtained in the following manner: base station downlinkGuaranteed Bite Power (GBP) is generated according to a base stationdownlink load factor, and then the traffic of the overlay network isobtained by performing processing according to the base station datadownlink GBP. How to obtain the traffic is a technology well known by aperson skilled in the art, which is not described in detail in theembodiment of the present invention.

202: If the checked total traffic keeps being smaller than a preset loadthreshold, the base station searches for and determines the firstoverlay network, where the first overlay network is a type 1 overlaynetwork requiring network capacity management in the base station.

That the total traffic keeps being smaller than the preset loadthreshold may be as follows: the total traffic is keeping being smallerthan the preset load threshold in a preset time period, where the presettime period may be set by a user according to an actual situation, whichis not described again in the embodiment of the present invention.

It should be noted that the base station searching for and determiningthe first overlay network may be implemented in the following manner,which specifically is: the base station searches for the type 1 overlaynetwork among all the overlay networks belonging to the base station; ifthere is only one overlay network belonging to the type 1 overlaynetwork, the base station determines the overlay network as the firstoverlay network; and if there are multiple overlay networks belonging tothe type 1 overlay network, the base station determines the firstoverlay network according to traffic, working frequency pointinformation or a continuous coverage situation of the multiple overlaynetworks belonging to the type 1 overlay network.

It should be noted that the working frequency point information includesa working frequency of the antennas configured for the overlay network,and that the continuous coverage situation of the overlay networkindicates whether the cells covered by the sectors corresponding to theantennas configured for the overlay network are spatially continuous,which is not described again in the embodiment of the present invention.

It should be noted that one specific implementation of determining, bythe base station, the first overlay network according to the traffic,working frequency point information or continuous coverage situation ofthe multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay networkmay include the base station selecting an overlay network among the type1 overlay networks as the first overlay network, where the overlaynetwork has lowest traffic or a largest difference between its workingfrequency point and working frequency points of other overlay networks,or cells of the overlay network that are covered by the sectorscorresponding to the configured antennas are spatially discontinuous.

203: The base station searches for a second overlay network, where thesecond overlay network is an overlay network with lowest traffic amongthe overlay networks covering a same coverage area as the first overlaynetwork.

The second overlay network may be an overlay network of a 6-sectorstructure or an overlay network of a 3-sector structure. It is onlyrequired herein that the coverage area of the second overlay network isthe same as the coverage area of the first overlay network, which is notdescribed again in the embodiment of the present invention.

The preset load threshold may be determined by the user in the basestation according to an actual situation, which is not limited by theembodiment of the present invention.

204: If the second overlay network is capable of bearing the traffic ofthe first overlay network, the base station performs migration of allthe traffic of the first overlay network to the second overlay network.

It should be noted that, if the second overlay network is not capable ofbearing the traffic of the first overlay network, the current networkarchitecture remains unchanged, which is not described again in theembodiment of the present invention.

By executing step 204, it can be ensured that a user terminal, whichaccesses the first overlay network when the following steps areexecuted, obtains a desired service through the second overlay network,thereby guaranteeing service experience of the user.

205: The base station maintains normal work of the power amplifiers ofAf1, Af3 and Af5 on the first overlay network and turns off the poweramplifiers of Af2, Af4 and Af6 on the first overlay network.

The first overlay network is converted from a 6-sector structure into a3-sector structure by executing step 205.

When step 204 is based on the foregoing configuration manner 1, step 204may include the base station maintaining normal work of the poweramplifiers of Af1, Af3 and Af5 on the first overlay network and turningoff the power amplifiers of Af2, Af4 and Af6 on the first overlaynetwork.

When step 204 is based on the foregoing configuration manner 2, step 204may include the base station maintaining normal work of the poweramplifiers of Af1, Af3 and Af5 on the first overlay network, turning offthe power amplifiers of Af2, Af4 and Af6 on the first overlay network,and turning off the remote radio frequency units of Af2, Af4 and Af6. Onthe basis of the configuration manner 2, after the first overlay networkis converted from 6 sectors into 3 sectors, the remote radio frequencyunits are turned off. Therefore, the power consumption of the remoteradio frequency units that do not need to work is reduced, andenergy-saving of the system is better achieved.

It should be noted that, when the first overlay network is convertedfrom the 6-sector structure into the 3-sector structure, which poweramplifier of an antenna in each group of antennas is selected and turnedoff may be preset in the base station. A specific manner for thepresetting is a technology well known by a person skilled in the art,which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the presentinvention.

It should be noted that, if more than one antenna is configured in a 60°sector, the power amplifiers of multiple antennas in each group ofantennas may maintain normal work, and the specific implementationmethod is similar to the method provided in the embodiment of thepresent invention, and therefore is not described in detail in theembodiment of the present invention.

206: The base station connects Af2 to the power amplifier of Af1,connects Af4 to the power amplifier of Af3, and connects Af6 to thepower amplifier of Af5 by turning on the converters so that every two60° sectors corresponding to each group of antennas on the first overlaynetwork are combined into one 120° sector, thereby forming three 120°sectors.

In step 206, because the antenna of which the power amplifier is turnedoff is connected to the power amplifier of the antennas in a same groupby turning on a corresponding converter, it is ensured that, after two60° sectors corresponding to each group of antennas on the first overlaynetwork are combined into one 120° sector, two cell coverage areas oftwo 60° sectors corresponding to each group of antennas are the same asthe cell coverage area of one 120° sector.

207: Delete some cells and network resources corresponding to the cellsaccording to the traffic, the working frequency point information or thecontinuous coverage situation of the cells covered by the sub-sectorscorresponding to the six antennas in the first overlay network.

A specific implementation manner of step 207 is that: a cell with lowesttraffic and network resources corresponding to the cell are selected anddeleted; or, a cell with a largest difference between its workingfrequency point and working frequency points of other overlay networksand the network resources corresponding to the cell are selected; or,the cell which is spatially discontinuous with other cells and thenetwork resources corresponding to the cell are selected and deleted.

208: The base station performs migration of part of the traffic of thesecond overlay network to the first overlay network, where the part ofthe traffic is larger than (i.e., greater than) or equal to the presetload threshold.

That the base station performs migration of part of the traffic on thesecond overlay network to the first overlay network may be implementedin a load balancing manner. Implementing traffic migration by performingload balancing is a technology publicly known by a person skilled in theart, which is not described again in the embodiment of the presentinvention.

In addition, it should be noted that, after the network capacity of thefirst overlay network is reduced by executing step 201 to step 208, workof the first overlay network may be stopped, and migration of thetraffic of the first overlay network may be performed if the traffic ofthe first overlay network is very low.

Further, after the execution of step 201 to step 208, the networkcapacity of the first overlay network is reduced. If the traffic of thefirst overlay network keeps being higher than the preset load threshold,the capacity of the base station needs to be increased. As shown in FIG.6, the method for managing capacity of a wireless communication networkbased on the foregoing architecture further includes the followingsteps:

301: The base station checks the total traffic of all the overlaynetworks belonging to the base station in real time.

The specific implementation manner of step 301 is the same as that ofstep 201, which is not described herein again.

302: If the checked total traffic keeps being larger than the presetload threshold, the base station searches for and determines a firstoverlay network, where the first overlay network is the type 1 overlaynetwork requiring network capacity management in the base station.

It should be noted that, the searching for and determining the firstoverlay network may be implemented in the following manner, whichspecifically is: the base station searches for the type 1 overlaynetwork among all the overlay networks belonging to the base station; ifthere is only one overlay network belonging to the type 1 overlaynetwork, the base station determines the overlay network as the firstoverlay network; and if there are multiple overlay networks belonging tothe type 1 overlay network, the base station determines the firstoverlay network according to the traffic, the working frequency pointinformation or the continuous coverage situation of the multiple overlaynetworks belonging to the type 1 overlay network.

It should be noted that, specific implementation of determining, by thebase station, the first overlay network according to the traffic, theworking frequency point information or the continuous coverage situationof multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network mayinclude the base station selecting an overlay network among the type 1overlay networks as the first overlay network, where the overlay networkhas high traffic or a smallest difference between its working frequencypoint and working frequency points of other overlay networks, or cellsof the overlay network that are covered by the sectors corresponding tothe configured antennas are spatially continuous.

303: The base station searches for a second overlay network, where thesecond overlay network is an overlay network with the lowest trafficamong the overlay networks covering a same coverage area as the firstoverlay network.

304: If the second overlay network is capable of bearing the traffic ofthe first overlay network, the base station performs migration of allthe traffic of the first overlay network to the second overlay network.

By executing step 304, it can be ensured that a user terminal, whichaccesses the first overlay network when the following steps areexecuted, obtains a desired service through the second overlay network,thereby guaranteeing service experience of the user.

305: The base station turns on the power amplifiers corresponding toAf2, Af4 and Af6 on the first overlay network.

The first overlay network is converted from the 3-sector structure intothe 6-sector structure through step 305.

When step 305 is based on the foregoing configuration manner 1, step 305may be that the base station turns on the power amplifiers correspondingto Af2, Af4 and Af6 on the first overlay network.

When step 305 is based on the foregoing configuration manner 2, step 305may be that the base station turns on the remote radio frequency unitscorresponding to Af2, Af4 and Af6 on the first overlay network.

306: The base station connects Af2 to the power amplifier of Af2,connects Af4 to the power amplifier of Af4, and connects Af6 to thepower amplifier of Af6 by turning off the converters so that three 120°sectors on the first overlay network are split into six 60° sectors ofwhich every two 60° sectors correspond to each group of antennas.

It should be noted that, when three 120° sectors on the first overlaynetwork are respectively split into two 60° sectors, two cell coverageareas of two 60° sectors corresponding to each group of antennas are thesame as the cell coverage area of one 120° sector.

307: Establish new cell and network resources corresponding to the newcell according to the traffic, the working frequency point informationor the continuous coverage situation of the cells covered by thesub-sectors corresponding to the six antennas in the first overlaynetwork.

A specific implementation manner of step 307 is that the new cell andthe network resources corresponding to the new cell are selected andestablished in a working frequency point of six antennas of the firstoverlay network, or the new cell and the network resources correspondingto the new cell are established in a blank area of the cells covered bythe sub-sectors corresponding to the antennas.

308: The base station performs migration of part of the traffic of thesecond overlay network to the first overlay network, where the part ofthe traffic is larger than or equal to the preset load threshold.

In the method for managing capacity of a wireless communication networkprovided in the embodiment of the present invention, a converter iscontrolled to implement that, when the sectors are combined, the basestation may turn off the power amplifiers of some antennas in thecondition of not affecting the quality of service, thereby saving theenergy; moreover, only one converter apparatus is added, and theimplementation is simple; furthermore, because the cell numbers of thecells covered by the sub-sectors corresponding to each group of antennasare the same, the network resources do not need to be reallocated whenthe sectors are combined, thereby reducing complexity of a wirelessconfiguration resource algorithm, and solving the problems in theconventional art that the energy is wasted, implementation of theapparatus is difficult, and the wireless configuration resourcealgorithm is complex.

Further, when the traffic of the first overlay network keeps beinghigher than the preset load threshold, the base station may increasecapacity by turning off a converter, thereby ensuring the quality ofservice.

Embodiment 3

An embodiment of the present invention provides a base station formanaging capacity of a wireless communication network. The base stationmanages multiple overlay networks covering a same cell coverage area.The multiple overlay networks covering a same coverage area include atype 1 overlay network with a sector combining function. Multiple groupsof antennas corresponding to each type 1 overlay network are configured.One power amplifier is configured for each antenna. As shown in FIG. 7,the base station includes a check unit 41, a search unit 42, adetermination unit 43, and an adjustment unit 44.

The check unit 41 is configured to check the total traffic of alloverlay networks managed by the base station.

The search unit 42 is configured to search for a type 1 overlay networkamong all the overlay networks belonging to the base station when thetotal traffic checked by the check unit 41 is smaller than a preset loadthreshold.

The determination unit 43 is configured to, when the search unit 42finds only one overlay network belonging to the type 1 overlay network,determine the overlay network as a first overlay network; and when thesearch unit 42 finds multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1overlay network, determine the first overlay network according tonetwork status parameters of the multiple overlay networks belonging tothe type 1 overlay network, where the first overlay network is the type1 overlay network which is managed by the base station and requiresnetwork capacity management.

The adjustment unit 44 is configured to maintain normal work of a poweramplifier of at least one antenna in each group of antennas in the firstoverlay network determined by the determination unit 43 and turn off thepower amplifiers of one or more other antennas. The adjustment unit 44is also configured to connect the one or more other antennas to thepower amplifiers maintaining normal work in the groups in which the oneor more other antennas are located so that sub-sectors corresponding toeach group of antennas among the multiple groups of antennas arerespectively combined into multiple large sectors.

Optionally, the search unit 42 may further be configured to search forthe type 1 overlay network among all the overlay networks belonging tothe base station when the total traffic checked by the check unit 41 issmaller than the preset load threshold.

The adjustment unit 44 may further be configured to turn on all theturned-off power amplifiers in the first overlay network determined bythe determination unit 43 and connect each group of antennas among themultiple groups of antennas to the power amplifiers corresponding toeach group of antennas so that the multiple large sectors are split intothe sub-sectors corresponding to the multiple groups of antennas.

Optionally, the determination unit 43 may be specifically configured to,when the search unit 42 finds multiple overlay networks belonging to thetype 1 overlay network, determine the first overlay network according totraffic, working frequency point information or a continuous coveragesituation of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1overlay network.

More specifically, in an embodiment, when the search unit finds multipleoverlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network, thedetermination unit 43 may specifically select an overlay network amongthe type 1 overlay networks as the first overlay network, where theoverlay network has lowest traffic or a largest difference between itsworking frequency point and working frequency points of other overlaynetworks, or cells of the overlay network that are covered by thesectors corresponding to the configured antennas are spatiallydiscontinuous.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 8, the base station further includes amigration unit 45.

The migration unit 45 is configured to search for a second overlaynetwork after the determination unit 43 determines the first overlaynetwork, where the second overlay network is the overlay network withlowest traffic among overlay networks covering a same coverage area asthe first overlay network, and performs migration of all the traffic ofthe first overlay network to the second overlay network if the secondoverlay network is capable of bearing the traffic of the first overlaynetwork.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the base station further includes a networkresource control unit 46.

The network resource control unit is configured to delete some of thecells and the network resources corresponding to the cells according tothe traffic, working frequency point information or continuous coveragesituation of the cells covered by the sub-sectors corresponding to theantennas in the first overlay network after the adjustment unit 44connects the one or more other antennas to the first power amplifiers inthe groups in which the one or more other antennas are located, so thatthe combined sectors are capable of bearing the traffic of the remainingcells after the deletion.

Optionally, the network resource control unit 46 is configured toestablish a new cell and network resources corresponding to the new cellaccording to the traffic, the working frequency point information or thecontinuous coverage situation of the cells covered by the sub-sectorscorresponding to the antennas of the first overlay network after theadjustment unit 44 connects the multiple groups of antennas to the poweramplifiers corresponding to the multiple groups of antennas.

In the method and the base station for managing capacity of a wirelesscommunication network provided in the embodiment of the presentinvention, a converter is controlled to implement that, when the sectorsare combined, the base station may turn off the power amplifiers of someantennas in the condition of not affecting the quality of service,thereby saving the energy, and solving the problem in the conventionalart that the energy is wasted.

Further, when the traffic of the first overlay network keeps beinghigher than the preset load threshold, the base station may increasecapacity by turning off the converter, thereby ensuring the quality ofservice.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided bythe embodiment of the present invention. It can be seen from FIG. 10that the base station in the foregoing embodiments may adjust a poweramplifier of the first overlay network through a wireless link.

The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication networkprovided in the embodiment of the present invention may be applied to 3Gor 4G technologies such as Global System for Mobile communications(GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA).

Through the above description of the embodiments, it is clear to aperson skilled in the art that the present invention may be accomplishedby software plus necessary universal hardware and definitely may also beaccomplished by hardware, but in many cases, the software implementationis preferred. Based on this, the technical solutions of the presentinvention or the part that makes contributions to the conventional artcan be substantially embodied in the form of a software product. Thecomputer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, forexample, a floppy disk, hard disk, or optical disk of the computer, andcontains several instructions used to instruct computer equipment (forexample, a personal computer, a server, or network equipment) to performthe methods according to the embodiments of the present invention.

The above descriptions are merely exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, but not intended to limit the protection scope of the presentinvention. Any variations or replacement that can be easily derived bythose skilled in the art within the technology scope disclosed by thepresent invention shall fall within the protection scope of the presentinvention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention issubject to the protection scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network comprising: checking total traffic of all overlay networks managed by a base station, wherein the base station comprises a multi-sector structure and manages multiple overlay networks covering a same coverage area, wherein the multiple overlay networks covering a same coverage area comprise a type 1 overlay network with a sector combining function, wherein multiple groups of antennas corresponding to each type 1 overlay network are configured, and wherein one power amplifier is configured for each antenna; searching for the type 1 overlay network among all the overlay networks belonging to the base station based on a determination that the checked total traffic is less than a preset load threshold; determining the overlay network as a first overlay network based on a determination that there is only one overlay network belonging to the type 1 overlay network; determining the first overlay network according to network status parameters of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network based on a determination that there are multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network, wherein the first overlay network is a type 1 overlay network which is managed by the base station and requires network capacity management; maintaining normal work of a power amplifier of at least one antenna in each group of antennas in the first overlay network and turning off power amplifiers of one or more other antennas; and connecting the one or more other antennas to the power amplifier maintaining normal work in the groups in which the one or more other antennas are located such that sub-sectors corresponding to each group of antennas among the multiple groups of antennas are respectively combined into multiple large sectors.
 2. The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 1, wherein the type 1 overlay network further has a sector splitting function, and wherein after the total traffic of all the overlay networks managed by the base station is checked, the method further comprises: searching for the type 1 overlay network among all the overlay networks belonging to the base station based on a determination that the checked total traffic is greater than the preset load threshold; determining the overlay network as the first overlay network based on a determination that there is only one overlay network belonging to the type 1 overlay network; determining the first overlay network according to network status parameters of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network based on a determination that there are multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network, wherein the first overlay network is a type 1 overlay network which is managed by the base station and requires network capacity management; turning on all power amplifiers in the first overlay network that are already turned off; and connecting each group of antennas in the multiple groups of antennas to power amplifiers corresponding to each group of antennas such that the multiple large sectors are split into the sub-sectors corresponding to the multiple groups of antennas.
 3. The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 1, wherein determining the first overlay network according to the network status parameters of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network comprises determining the first overlay network according to traffic, working frequency point information or a continuous coverage situation of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network.
 4. The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 3, wherein determining the first overlay network according to the traffic, working frequency point information or continuous coverage situation of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network comprises selecting an overlay network among the type 1 overlay networks as the first overlay network, wherein the overlay network has a lowest amount of traffic or a largest difference between its working frequency point and working frequency point of other overlay networks, or cells of the overlay network that are covered by sectors corresponding to the configured antennas are spatially discontinuous.
 5. The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 1, wherein after determining the first overlay network and before maintaining normal work of the power amplifier of at least one antenna in each group of antennas in the first overlay network, the method further comprises: searching for a second overlay network, wherein the second overlay network is an overlay network with a lowest amount of traffic among overlay networks covering a same coverage area as the first overlay network; and performing migration of all the traffic of the first overlay network to the second overlay network based on a determination that the second overlay network is capable of bearing traffic of the first overlay network.
 6. The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 2, wherein after determining the first overlay network and before connecting each group of antennas in the multiple groups of antennas to the power amplifiers corresponding to each group of antennas, the method further comprises: searching for a second overlay network, wherein the second overlay network is an overlay network with a lowest amount of traffic among overlay networks covering a same coverage area as the first overlay network; and performing migration of all the traffic of the first overlay network to the second overlay network based on a determination that the second overlay network is capable of bearing traffic of the first overlay network.
 7. The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 1, wherein after connecting the one or more other antennas to the first power amplifiers in the groups in which the one or more other antennas are located, the method further comprises according to traffic, working frequency point information or a continuous coverage situation of cells covered by sub-sectors corresponding to the antennas in the first overlay network, deleting some cells and network resources corresponding to the cells such that the combined sectors are capable of bearing the traffic of the remaining cells after the deletion.
 8. The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 2, wherein after connecting the multiple groups of antennas to the power amplifiers corresponding to the multiple groups of antennas, the method further comprises establishing a new cell and network resources corresponding to the new cell according to traffic, working frequency point information or a continuous coverage situation of cells covered by sub-sectors corresponding to the antennas of the first overlay network.
 9. The method for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 5, wherein after connecting the one or more other antennas to the first power amplifiers in the groups in which the one or more other antennas are located, the method further comprises migrating a part of traffic of the second overlay network to the first overlay network, wherein the part of the traffic is less than or equal to the preset load threshold.
 10. A base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network comprising: a check unit configured to check total traffic of all overlay networks managed by the base station, wherein the base station manages multiple overlay networks covering same cell coverage areas, wherein the multiple overlay networks covering the same cell coverage areas comprise a type 1 overlay network with a sector combining function, wherein multiple groups of antennas corresponding to each type 1 overlay network are configured, and wherein one power amplifier is configured for each antenna; a search unit configured to search for the type 1 overlay network among all the overlay networks belonging to the base station when the total traffic checked by the check unit is less than a preset load threshold; a determination unit configured to, when the search unit finds only one overlay network belonging to the type 1 overlay network, determine the overlay network as a first overlay network, and when the search unit finds multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network, determine the first overlay network according to network status parameters of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network, wherein the first overlay network is a type 1 overlay network which is managed by the base station and requires network capacity management; and an adjustment unit configured to maintain normal work of a power amplifier of at least one antenna in each group of antennas in the first overlay network determined by the determination unit, turn off power amplifiers of one or more other antennas, and connect the one or more other antennas to the power amplifier maintaining normal work in the groups in which the one or more other antennas are located such that sub-sectors corresponding to each group of antennas among the multiple groups of antennas are respectively combined into multiple large sectors.
 11. The base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 10, wherein the search unit is further configured to search for the type 1 overlay network among all the overlay networks belonging to the base station when the total traffic checked by the check unit is less than the preset load threshold, and wherein the adjustment unit is further configured to turn on all power amplifiers already turned off in the first overlay network determined by the determination unit and connect each group of antennas among the multiple groups of antennas to power amplifiers corresponding to each group of antennas such that the multiple large sectors are split into the sub-sectors corresponding to the multiple groups of antennas.
 12. The base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 10, wherein the determination unit is further configured to, when the search unit finds multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network, determine the first overlay network according to traffic, working frequency point information or a continuous coverage situation of the multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network.
 13. The base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 12, wherein the determination unit is further configured to, when the search unit finds multiple overlay networks belonging to the type 1 overlay network, select an overlay network among the type 1 overlay networks as the first overlay network, wherein the overlay network has a lowest amount of traffic or a largest difference between its working frequency point and working frequency points of other overlay networks, or cells of the overlay network that are covered by sectors corresponding to the configured antennas are spatially discontinuous.
 14. The base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 10, further comprising a migration unit configured to search for a second overlay network after the determination unit determines the first overlay network, wherein the second overlay network is an overlay network with a lowest amount of traffic among overlay networks covering a same coverage area as the first overlay network, and wherein the migration unit is further configured to perform migration of all traffic of the first overlay network to the second overlay network based on a determination that the second overlay network is capable of bearing traffic of the first overlay network.
 15. The base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 10, further comprising a network resource control unit configured to delete some cells and network resources corresponding to the cells according to traffic, working frequency point information or a continuous coverage situation of cells covered by sub-sectors corresponding to the antennas in the first overlay network after the adjustment unit connects the one or more other antennas to the first power amplifiers in the groups in which the one or more other antennas are located such that the combined sectors are capable of bearing traffic of the remaining cells after the deletion.
 16. The base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network according to claim 10, wherein the network resource control unit is further configured to, after the adjustment unit connects the multiple groups of antennas to the power amplifiers corresponding to the multiple groups of antennas, establish a new cell and network resources corresponding to the new cell according to traffic, working frequency point information or a continuous coverage situation of cells covered by sub-sectors corresponding to the antennas of the first overlay network. 